Ferdi Berisa, a former illegal immigrant has been crowned winner of Italy’s Big Brother 2009. Ferdi, 22, is originally from Monte Negro. He arrived in Italy by boat when he was eight years old, together with his drunkard father who used to force him to go to steal. His mother abandoned him when he was a baby.

Ferdi was soon taken to a religious institution in Fano where he studied and obtained a Diploma in Hotel management.
He was then fostered by a local family for two years. Before entering the Big Brother house he was living with a friend and working as a cook in Fano.

Ferdi had not expected to stay for long in the house. Many had in fact thought that he was one of those housemates brought in just to have a variety of housemates.

But it took him a very short time to win the hearts of Italians with his humility, perfect Italian, and capacity to get along well with all housemates.

During his stay in the Big brother house Ferdi got a chance of knowing his mother and finding his sister. By winning this year’s Big Brother, Ferdi takes home 300,000 Euros.

Ferdi is a person who never gives up. His sad experience as a child made him committed to become an achiever. His motto is: “We should live for something bigger”.

Ferdi’s victory shows that we can all achieve our objects if we stay focused and don’t let the past experiences block our moves.